This invention relates to static structures suitable for a wide range of specific applications, and especially to static structure components that may be combined with one another in a number of ways to achieve various results. More particularly, the invention relates to a unique structural technique that produces a static structure component called a tetrahypar used in creating composite tetrahypar structures of unique aesthetic and utilitarian qualities.
The invention utilizes structural members that are interconnected in a way that stresses the members in a unique manner. The stresses involved include primarily either torsion and tension, or torsion and compression. The rigidity of the structure depends on the utilization of one or the other of these stress combinations. The outline of the rigid skeletal, three-dimensional form thus constructed defines the four faces of a tetrahedron, the most basic polyhedron. Also, each of the rigid structural members can be considered as a generatrix of a hyperbolic paraboloid.
These rigid skeletal components (tetrahypars) may be assembled together in a variety of ways to produce many types of static structures (tetrahypars), including decorative household furnishings such as hanging plant holders, room dividers, and lighting assemblies, as well as chairs and tables and architectural structures such as tents, greenhouses, and permanent dwellings, to name a few. An additional application is in the field of educational models.